INTRO...“FOR THE ONE”

…living our lives —> “FOR THE ONE”...I want this to be more than a title of a sermon series here at Creekside, my prayer is that in the days and years to come this three word statement becomes the anthem of creekside church!

WEEK 1 > OUR CALL…LOVE GOD AND OTHERS
-- QUESTION...Who is your ONE?

WEEK 2 > OUR POWER…THE GOSPEL
-- Our ‘first brick’ PROCLAIM CHRIST… When we are “Proclaiming Christ” we are demonstrating and declaring the GOSPEL…and we identified 3 ways the GOSPEL is applied to our lives:
1. JUSTIFIED (saved from penalty of sin)
2. SANCTIFIED (being saved from the power of sin) and
3. GLORIFIED (will be saved from the presence of sin)

WEEK 3 > OUR IDENTITY…BAPTISM
-- FATHER/SON/SPIRIT…FAMILY/SERVANT/SENT

WEEK 4 > OUR PURPOSE…MAKE DISCIPLES
-- Going...Baptizing...Teaching to Observe

WEEK 5 > A DISCIPLE IS A PERSON WHO IS ABIDING IN JESUS
-- Abiding in His LOVE...Abiding in his WORD...bearing fruit

WEEK 6 > A DISCIPLE IS A PERSON WHO IS BEING TRANSFORMED BY JESUS
-- put to death what is earthly in me, the old self with its practices
-- put on the new self which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator

WEEK 7 > A DISCIPLE IS A PERSON WHO IS ON MISSION WITH JESUS
-- we are sent missionaries to finish the mission Jesus gave to us

THE MAIN THING…MAKE DISCIPLES

{Intentional sharing of the gospel, both demonstrated and declared, to THE ONE God has called you to} this is THE MISSION we join Jesus on. How do we know that? Because the NT says it over and over. Lets look at MARK 1 to lay a foundation then see it laid out throughout the rest of the Gospels…and not just to see them saved (justification) but that they would become disciples (sanctified)

1. OUR IDENTITY…A SENT ONE
[family servant sent]

READ…Mark 1:14-20
--> Jesus’ Mission VS14-15: proclaim the gospel, make disciples and call others to do it with him
--> Disciples Mission VS16-20: proclaim the gospel, make disciples and call others to do it with them

—> We see this pattern throughout the gospels, Jesus’ mission and our mission. Jesus knew what his mission was…and because of that we have clarity on our mission…an example and a model and a call to follow![thanks to my friend Doug Holliday @ Sonlife for compiling this list]

JESUS' MISSION...OUR MISSION...

- Jesus made it clear that He was sent by the Father.
JN 6:38 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.”
--- And just like Jesus, Because you’re sent, you have an obligation to fulfill the purpose for which you were sent.

- Jesus knew the purpose for which He was sent.
JN 3:17 “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
--- And just like Jesus, the primary purpose of your mission is the salvation of those who are far from God.

- Jesus knew whom He was sent to.
MT 15:24 “He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
--- Because you’re sent, having clarity on the WHO helps to focus your HOW. || again…who is your ONE? Open eyes (who) open ears/hands (how)

- Jesus understood that being sent didn’t mean He was now alone.
JN 8:29 “And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”
---Because you’re sent, the one who has sent you, though maybe not visible, still provides encouragement and accountability as you are going, that is such a calming and comforting truth

- Jesus knew that the mission He was sent to accomplish would require supernatural power
LK 4:18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed”
--- When you go…You might feel like you’re in over your head, but when God sends you on a mission, He provides everything you need to accomplish the mission. The anointing of the Spirit is the divine enablement to finish the work you’ve been sent to accomplish. This is why we need to ABIDE in him

- Jesus trusted His Father to give Him the right words to say at the right time.
JN 7:16 “So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.”
JN 12:49 “For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak.”
--- Because you’re sent, ask God to give you the right words to say to your friend(s), speak the gospel boldly and you can’t go wrong with that! || tell his story, tell your story with Jesus as the hero…

- Jesus found a great sense of fulfillment in living out His purpose.
JN 4:34 “Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.”
--- Because you’re sent, celebrate the great privilege and honor that you’re being given to know and live out your purpose. All of our specific callings are unique, but our overall purpose has been given to us…make disciples. It is nice to know

- Jesus made it clear that it’s impossible to follow Him and not accept the responsibility of being sent.
MT 4:19 “And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
--- As a Christian, you’re sent, that is a significant part of the journey for every Disciple. It’s an oxymoron to be a non-sent Christian. But the question is…are you going? Are you demonstrating and declaring the gospel…to anyone…specific person

- Jesus prepared His disciples for the inevitability of hardship when they were sent.
MT 10:16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”
--- Because you’re sent, expect obstacles. Don’t be discouraged by setbacks, but rather, see them as set-ups for God to do what only He can do.

- Jesus wanted His disciples to trust in God to provide for everything they would need as they were sent.
LK 22:35 “And he said to them, “When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “Nothing.””
--- Because you’re sent, remember this: God’s vision never lacks God’s provision. He will provide everything that is needed to accomplish His work in His way.

- Jesus saw the value in being sent with others.
MK 6:7 “And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.”
LK 10:1 “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go.”
--- Because you’re sent, figure out who God is pairing you up with for this mission (missional community)? How do your strengths complement one another? How can you “spur one another on” in the mission?

LIVING AS A SENT ONE...

-- LIVING AS A SENT ONE is about following Jesus with an everyday, anywhere, anytime, with anyone intentionality. It’s about having a missionary mindset right where you’re at.

-- We are SENT ONES: Jesus said that we have been sent on a mission, as missionaries, ambassadors
JN 17:18 “As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.”
JN 20:21 “Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

--“Who is your ONE”…name, face…now that your ONE has been identified…how do you engage with them, on mission with Jesus?

-- THE CALL OF THE DISCIPLES…the call Jesus extended to the men on the lake that day is the same call He extends to you right now. It’s a call to leave behind your preoccupation with lesser, temporal things and pursue eternal things. It’s a call to put aside a shortsighted MISSION (SHADOW MISSION) for your life and lift your eyes to His greater MISSION. In a very real way, Jesus is calling you to an adventure of living with Him day by day, and being used by Him to see many people come to know and follow Jesus.

-- Sound good? Here’s the catch — It will cost you everything!

-- A SENT MISSIONARY...Typically, the word missionary refers to someone sent across cultural lines in order to teach and persuade people of the gospel. We refer to missionaries who go overseas or cross cultures. But we are missionaries, it is our new identity. Imagine you were sent to live in China, Papa New Guinea, or the Dominican Republic as missionaries….
- How might you order your life?
- How would you pray?
- How might you read the newspaper?
- How would you interact with your neighbors?
- How would you talk to your boss or coworker?

-- If you were sent there then, you would view your life and ministry as a missionary with the goal of reaching the people around you with the gospel. Your life would be orientated around the mission. And this is the only way things actually get done. Nobody slouches into faithfulness. They do it on purpose.

-- With our lives intentionally calibrated by the gospel and its expansion, we pursue what Christ has called us to do.

-- So, look around…we have unbelievers are all around us, but they are not flocking to us by coming to church. We see in the Bible that we have a Savior who came to us when we wouldn’t and couldn’t come to him. This is one of the reasons why we must go to them. We are on mission with Jesus, our IDENTITY is a Spirit empowered, SENT missionary…demonstrating and declaring the gospel of Jesus!

2. URGENCY…

-- Living on mission with Jesus has a sense of urgency behind it.

COL 4:5 “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time”

—> “walking…with outsiders” assumes we are living life with people who are far from God. They are outside of the family of faith…we should be walking with them, (with wisdom, not doing what they do)
—> “making the BEST USE OF THE TIME” This phrase translated making the best use of the time is perhaps more literally buy back. It means to purchase out or redeem. It is a similar idea to what Paul writes in
EPH 5:15-16…“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time because the days are evil.”

—> Jesus understood that BEING SENT was time-sensitive.
John 9:4 “We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.“

-- When you’re sent, it should be with a sense of urgency for the mission that needs to be completed.
-- This means that we should not squander our time but instead, steward it. Don’t presume upon time. We should not live as though we or others have an infinite amount of time. We don’t know how much time we have left. The people in our family, community, or office might only have a day or two left. We don’t know. We might only have a day or two left. We don’t know. We should not live in a way that presumes upon an infinite amount of time.
-- Time is so uncertain…there is a mission we are on…

CS Lewis Quote
“We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

-- If we aren’t careful we will be satisfied in our own shadow missions, our own comfort, our own pursuits, our own kingdom building that we never venture out on mission with Jesus…and that is such a tragedy, for us and for those that desperately need to hear the gospel
-- Urgency clarifies our thinking and priorities. Knowing the days are short (and evil), people are dying and going to hell, and that you have the message of eternal life…LIVE WITH INTENTIONALITY around unbelievers. Don’t waste your time but rather redeem it. Buy it back. Love God and others by ordering (OR RE ORDERING) your life around the mission of the gospel. If we want to be on MISSION WITH JESUS, proclaiming the gospel, we must live with evangelistic intentionality. Evangelism, like most other things in life, requires personal effort, endurance through difficulty, and the regular repetition of basic (unglamorous) tasks.

—> So what are some practical things we can do every day to begin living with intentionality to be on Mission with Jesus??

5 PRACTICAL TIPS FOR LIVING WITH INTENTIONALITY TO BE ON MISSION WITH JESUS...

1. PRAY.
Pray for your own heart and for them (Your ONE). We begin by acknowledging we are dependent on God to move if we’re going to make any real impact in our the life of others that need Jesus. And then pray for them (open eyes, ears, enlightened mind, soft heart)

2. LOVE.
Genuinely love and care about the people you want to reach. Be curious about their lives. Learn about their passions. Allow space for them to teach you their area of expertise. Our effectiveness will be severely limited if we don’t authentically love the people we’re trying to reach.

3. CREATE MARGIN IN YOUR LIFE FOR THE ONE.
If we are constantly moving from one thing to the next, we will rarely have margin for the unexpected moments and encounters God allows in our day. Less is more. Leave room in your schedule for the unexpected to happen.

4. BE INTENTIONAL.
Being a disciple and making disciples is never going to happen if you don’t have intentional plans for it to happen. You have to intentionally grow spiritually, read the word, obey the word and being filled with the Spirit, abiding in Jesus bearing fruit…and intentionally reaching people who are far from God… at some point, you have to Share the gospel with your friend. Too often we’re effective at developing friendships with non-Christians without being honest about our desire to see them reconciled to God through the work of Jesus Christ. People should get to know us in such a way that they’re not surprised when we bring up spiritual topics. The gospel is intrinsically powerful — unleash it from its cage and see what happens. Be bold and be amazed at the way lives are changed. you have to…
—> CULTIVATE: open your eyes (who is your ONE), open your ears and listen, and open your hands to serve.
—> PLANT: (get to know them, pray for them, serve them)…As you grow in your relationship with your lost friend, at some point going from ‘playing it safe’ to ‘planting a seed’…begin to introduce Jesus into your friendship, tell them your story with Jesus as the Hero…asking them along the way what they believe about Jesus. This can be challenging, stretching for you, but this is how God is making you into a disciple too!
—> REAP: At some point you call your friend to respond to the gospel… ‘where are you at with all of this?’, (if they say no, repeat over and over)…None of this “just happens”, it is going to take intentionality on your part

5. CONTINUE TO INVITE THEM INTO COMMUNITY.
Because we’re created in the image of a Triune God, we were created and long for community. However, most people don’t feel close to others relationally, even though they might live close to others in proximity. Inviting someone into your church community — where people can taste the goodness of life amongst the people of God — is an incredibly powerful tool for mission. Throw parties, celebrate holidays, watch sports and create a culture where others feel welcome.

PRAYER, REFLECTION AND COMMUNION…

-- Are you on mission with Jesus or are you on your own shadow mission?

-- When was the last time you shared the simple gospel with a friend far from God?

-- What steps are you taking to build lasting, intentional relationships with spiritually dead people who desperately need Jesus?

-- WHAT IS JESUS SAYING TO YOU TODAY?

-- WHAT IS JESUS ASKING YOU TO DO?